Rhode Island State Health officials confirm that a 10-year-old girl from the area is the first victim to have died from respiratory complications due to a disease brought on by enterovirus 68 that has recently been affecting children across several states in the United States.
Authorities announced that the child, 10-year-old Emily Ortrando, died because of complications brought on by a rare combination of a staphylococcal infection and enterovirus 68. Dr. Michael Fine, health director of the Rhode Island Health Department, said that the girl came from Cumberland and was taken to the Hasbro Children's Hospital in Providence after she experienced difficulty in breathing. "We are all heartbroken to hear about the death of one of Rhode Island's children," he said. Dr. Fine also added that many more children could become infected saying that, "[most of the] ill have very mild symptoms and all but very few will recover quickly and completely. The vast majority of children exposed to enterovirus 68 will recover completely."
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the enterovirus 68 has already affected over 400 people in more than 40 states across the country. Just last two months, hundreds of children in different states have been hospitalized and required treatment after the virus gave him respiratory trouble. Symptoms of the infection are very similar to those of the common cold and include wheezing, fever, muscle aches, and difficulty in breathing. However, according to researcher John Chia, this disease "can become a persistent infection in the long or it can go through the bloodstream and reach the central nervous system." When this happens, a more severe case of the infection could take place and may result to muscle weakness and even paralysis out the virus attacks the central nervous system.
Apart from this case, there have also been reports of deaths in other states due to similar respiratory complications, although details from these other incidents have yet to be released by the CDC.